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Sinahm'Uish
Biology Description Most Sinahm'Uish (singular: Sinahmor'Uish) (or "Sinahm"/"Sinahmor", as they speak of themselves informally) have dark brown fur covering their entire bodies from nose to tailtip. The fur on their underbellies is typically a paler color than the rest of their fur, and this paleness occasionally continues up around their mouth and whiskers. Sinahm display sexual dimorphism; when standing on their hind limbs, the males reach between 1.7 meters (approximately 5'7") and 2 meters (approximately 6'7"), whereas the females reach between 1.4 meters (approximately 4'7") and 1.8 meters (approximately 5'11"). The males often display prominent whiskers stemming from near their noses, whereas the female's whiskers are smaller, nearly nonexistent naturally, and are often trimmed or groomed to further decrease their visibility. Their tails consist of approximately thirty percent of their full length when lying down or standing on all four limbs. Their forelimbs and hind limbs are shorter than typical for humanoid species; a Sinahmor's forelimbs and hind limbs are both appoximately thirty percent of its standing height, as opposed to the human norms of forty-four percent and fifty-three percent, respectively. (This means that, for a Sinahmor standing two meters tall, its forelimbs and hind limbs are all approximately sixty centimeters in length, with a tail approximately eighty-six centimeters in length.) The digits on their forepaws are longer than those of their evolutionary predecessors and include opposable thumbs, allowing them to grasp and manipulate objects such as weapons, scanners, and ship controls. The digits on their hind paws remain short and are designed exclusively for balance, not for item manipulation. All four paws are lightly padded, and the digits on both forepaws and hind paws have short claws. Movement Because of their smaller limbs, upright movement for the Sinahm'Uish is significantly slower than for typical humanoid species. However, movement on all fours is faster than the typical humanoid upright speed. The thin padding on their paws allows them to gain friction on slick surfaces, particularly wet rocks, and also provides some protection from sharp objects. Their thick, strong tails greatly improve their efficacy while swimming. They swim swiftly enough to catch many varieties of fish in both rivers and oceans. Senses The Sinahm have a highly developed sense of smell, capable of detecting particular scents both in the air and in water more efficiently than a typical humanoid's sense. Their eyesight is quite standard compared to humanoid species; their hearing is slightly improved to assist with both underwater and long-distance overland communications. Racial Differences Though both races are capable of surviving in both freshwater and saltwater environments, the Feonne's are the race which developed primarily in freshwater. They prefer freshwater fish and are better suited to surviving on a mix of land and water. The '''Saile's are the race developed in saltwater, and are better suited to living primarily in the water. The Sailes typically have much denser fur to provide insulation; they have larger, strong hind limbs to assist in swimming in the more powerful currents of the ocean. They are also heavier than the Feonnes. Feonnes are more slender in body and face and they are more agile both in the water and on land. Diet The Feonnes are more wholly carnivorous than the Sailes; Feonnes eat primarily freshwater fish from the rivers and lakes of Farraege, but they will also eat crustaceans, amphibians, even small mammals. On occasion, the Feonnes will attack groups of water fowl when they need larger meals for more than one individual, even for the whole tribe. The Sailes focus their diet on saltwater fish, mollusks, and crustaceans. They rarely leave the water, except to socialize with other Sinahm and hold political meetings, so they do not often consume any creature not native to the water in which they live and operate. Communication Uish'Fuame, the language of the Sinahm, literally means "water sound". Though there are many surviving dialects (due to the historically tribal nature of life for the Sinahm), this consist primarily of high-pitched squeaks and guttural sounds not unlike the babbling of river water over rocks, intermixed with consonants. The Sinahm are capable of speaking more "civilized" languages, such as Basic, but they do not often do so. The Basic transliteration of Uish'Fuame is tentative at best, but the Sinahm do not share their written language with other species. Diseases Due to the extended time they spend in the water, the Sinahm live daily with bacteria and viruses which would be dangerous for a typical humanoid to interact with; they have developed immunities to these bacteria, and it is rare for a Sinahmor to become sick at all. Occasionally, a Sinahmor will be born with a weakened immune system and these do not survive long. With old age, weakened immune systems are common, leading to the natural deaths of the elderly. Aging and Lifespans The Sinahm reach maturity at a young age, their pups often forced into surviving on their own from an early age. After fifteen standard years, a Sinahmor is considered adult. Sinahm lack a recognition of the human concept of "middle age", since the majority of their lives is spent in the prime of their physical maturity. They do not reach "old age" until after 120 standard years, as this is when their muscles begin to weaken and their immune systems begin to fade. Anywhere from 20 years and 60 years after that, a Sinahmor will die from the frailty of age. Culture Political Structure The Sinahm developed under tribal government, each tribe fending for itself on the hostile, watery world of Farraege. The Feonnes live and grow in holts - typically, caves dug under the ground near the banks of a river or lake - where they birth their pups and come together for their meals. Feonne tribes are often larger than Saile tribes since they are tied to a physical location; the leaders, or 'Ceannar's, of those tribes were, traditionally, the strongest, fastest, and most skilled hunters of the group. Sailes lived, instead, in the water itself. Because of the open nature of their environment, Saile tribes were often smaller and, because they depended on each other to stay together and survive their natural predators - the vicious siorcs, shark-like carnivorous fish - the leader of the tribe was often the wisest member. While their elderly often fit this description, it was also important that the leader be one who could teach battle to the pups, so the eldest Sailes - often, those older than 100 standard years - became advisors to a younger Ceannar. As the tribes advanced technologically, they also advanced politically. For a time, the Sailes and the Feonnes fought wars as tribes therein had fought historically. These nations of Feonne and Saile were short-lived, however; ever the pragmatists, it did not take long for the Sinahm to realize that fighting amongst themselves would accomplish nothing. They grouped together to form the '''Sinahm'Uish Rialtas, or simply the Rialtas. The Rialtas is the overarching government of the Sinahm. It stems from the old tribal system; the Ceannars from each tribe come together twice a year to discuss important planetwide decisions and plans for expanding within the solar system and beyond. This meeting is held on a shore of the Moraigean, the Great Ocean, a sort of in-between space for the Feonnes and Sailes. They arrive at decisions through a voting process; if a decision cannot be reached unanimously, it is often put off for several days for negotiations to occur before the Rialtas reconvenes again. This system is bursting with corruption and underhanded dealings; bribes are common in the negotiations between meetings. It is rare for a convening of the Rialtas to last more than two weeks, since there is often a more dominant group in the decision-making process. Many Saile Ceannars simply do not show up to the meetings, though they would be the more numerous group if they did; being the more traditionalist race, they tend to prefer the simple life on the water than the complicated political life involved in the Rialtas. As a result, the Feonnes are able to push their own political agendas, especially regarding contact with other species and expansion within the solar system. Because their biology is less dependent on water, the Feonnes are best suited to such travel, and they are able to convince the Sailes present at the Rialtas meetings - through precious metals and items from inland - to agree with their decisions. But not all Feonnes agree with this process. They know it to be corrupted by their own people. When Crion, a Saile Ceannar of a "country bumpkin" tribe, approached them with the proposition of a shadow government, set up to overthrow the Rialtas in dire times of need, they were quick to agree and posed the issue to other Sailes. Displeased with the Rialtas and worried for their people, the Sailes agreed, and the Sceath was born. The Sceath does not hold meetings; communiques are sent along encrypted channels between its members - through a large number of locations to deter any pursuit or trace should they be discovered - to make decisions and prepare for what its members believe to be the inevitable day of usurpation. Sceath Members *Ardellaich, Feonne *Bealoed, Saile *Braith, Feonne *Cehart, Saile *Crion, Saile *Gaifeach, Saile *Gasta, Feonne *Laedir, Feonne *Laoch, Saile *Suainach, Saile *Toban, Feonne Honor Ironically, the concept of honor is held very highly in Sinahm culture. The Sinahm code of honor, called the Urrahim, is generally quite simple. You do not kill an enemy which is not a threat; you show mercy where possible, granting exile instead of execution in many cases; above all, you do not betray your Ceannar nor your tribe. Those who do not obey this code are ostracized from their tribes and are usually sent into exile. This exile is typically carried out deep inland, away from the bodies of water primarily inhabited by other Sinahm. Given the nature of the Sinahm diet, it is nearly a death sentence, and an exile may only return under pain of death. After the creation of the Rialtas, exiles became almost nonexistant. When corruption rose in the Rialtas, exiles became much more common again - but not exiles of the dishonorable politicians, but rather of anyone who accused them - privately, as was the custom - of dishonor. After the development of interstellar travel, exiles were often sent into space instead of deeper inland, especially since much of the inland had been inhabited by Feonnes expanding their territory, just as the Sailes had used technology to go further out to sea. The Force Like many other species in the Galaxy, the Sinahm discovered the Force early on in their racial lifetime. Many tribes lacked adepts entirely, but it was seen that the children of adepts were often adepts themselves. These people manifested what were seen as preternatural abilities, and they developed their abilities as shamans or priests. They viewed the Force through monotheistic eyes, declaring it the ultimate deity, granting powers to those it considered worthy or wise or special. This deity was called Tian, and the adepts were called Sahart'''s, the Uish'Fuame word for priests. The Sinahm priesthood became a matter of family lineage. As time went on, the nature of the Force demanded that the Sinahm modify their theology. If the powers were granted by Tian, would He not take them away when a Sahart was dishonorable? The presence of dishonorable priests led them to the conclusion that Tian was the source of this power, but He trusted His creatures to use it wisely. Saharts who wrote on the subject brought forward another supernatural being, the demon to their god - they said that he, whom they called '''Garanai, corrupted other Saharts with desires for personal gain and dishonorable acts. Tian did not remove their powers because every Sinahmor serves a purpose, and because without evil, good cannot be recognized. After their encounter with other species in the Galaxy, the Sinahm eventually learned of the Jedi and their view of the Force. The Sinahm saw no reason why the Force was a better description of Tian and his power, and so did not change their beliefs. They refused to send their adepts to the Jedi Order, preferring instead to raise them on their own. In terms of power with the Force, Saharts are not any weaker than typical Jedi, though their powers tend to focus in the areas of sense rather than manipulation. As priests, the Saharts were responsible for advising their Ceannars, and used the Force to assist in this matter, and these abilities were taught down the lines of Saharts. As warriors and hunters, they use it to imbue their weapons with greater resilience and to strengthen their bodies for deeper diving and longer time without air. They are aware of using the Force to move objects, but they do not often need this ability, and so it is rarely developed except when it is seen as an aptitude in a Sahart student, called a Lain. Lifestyle Family is of the utmost importance to the Sinahm. All honor and action is about supporting and protecting your tribe and relatives. Individualism and personal gain are frowned upon traditionally, such that the corruption of the Ceannars in the Rialtas is hidden even from their own tribes when they return to them. Children are the primary focus of love and honor within each tribe; they are seen as the future of the Sinahm, and so it is considered very important that they learn not only how to survive, but also how to continue the Sinahm way of life. That way of life is centered on the water. Water gives life to the Sinahm; it provides nourishment through the other forms of life it supports, information through its waves and scents, even protection by creating natural holts along rocky shorelines. If Tian were any element, they say, He would be water. The hunt is also very important in their way of life. Finding food is not as difficult as it once was in Sinahm history, but it is still important for continued existence and traditionalist ways. Catching fish, trapping prey, even tracking prey to be found on land - all are vital parts of the hunt for food. As time passed and food became more abundant through scientific advances, the hunt became even more expansive. Challenges would be issued to young warriors to track difficult prey across a large island and meet up with the tribe on the other side - even if that prey would not normally have been a source of food. With the development of fish farms on the ocean, the Sailes especially would develop specialized hunts both in the water and on land for particular creatures. Winners would often be granted a special gift - the Ceannar's daughter was a common prize in large tribes. Marital relationships varied among the Sinahm. Traditionally, relationships were monogamous; one mate to each male of the species. Historical sociologists disagreed on whether or not that was always the case; those who thought differently often advised their tribes to begin polygamous relationships. Statistically speaking, females were more common than males, so why not have multiple females mated to each male? The result would be more offspring with greater chances of health and growth for the species. Neither the polygamists nor the traditionalists were more common in one race or the other; traditionalists remained the norm, but polygamy became more popular after the intraspecies wars. Interaction with the Galaxy Sinahm vessels rarely spend much time in space, rather being used as transports for colonies or explorers. A few more aggressive tribes, generally shunned by the Sinahm, became pirates, subsisting on the supplies of travelers and other species. Some of these pirate vessels have traveled far from Sinahm space and may very well have encountered their deaths or started their own colonies. Exiles, who are told to pick any direction and travel until they can travel no further, do not take long to discover the Galaxy at large. Some take their orders very specifically, more than likely dying in an unforeseen black hole or in the vastnesses of space beyond the edge of the Galaxy, but others decide that being beyond Sinahm space is sufficient and become mercenaries or bounty hunters. Before the Galactic Empire, on the rare occasion that a Sinahmor Sahart was exiled, they occasionally went to the Jedi for training. Technology Weaponry Given their nature of remaining close to and in water, the Sinahm focus primarily on mêlée weapons in their arsenal. Even during the intraspecies wars, they preferred to fight in close quarters than from afar. They considered it dishonorable to fire upon an enemy from a distance, not to mention that the blaster weaponry they encountered after leaving Farraege would not work underwater. They generally preferred spears and staves, but they also used swords some during the intraspecies wars. After developing their technology and moving into the air and outer space, they realized that interstellar travel was fraught with danger and that close-range weapons were simply infeasible in that scenario. In their attempts to discover a feasible long-range weapon, they also developed ultrasonic weaponry, which they found very useful underwater and in atmosphere, but simply impossible in the vacuum of space. These weapons, whether fired underwater or in atmosphere, could liquify solid matter at high energy levels, simply kill a being at medium levels, and do little more than daze a target at the lowest energy levels. Instead, they discovered particle beam weapons, dubbed "plasma weapons" by the populace; by directing focused beams of highly ionized particles are extremely high speeds, they not only developed a very accurate weapon, but one which was barely visible. The weapons produced similar results to blasters in the modern Galaxy. They have place plasma weapons on their starships, but have focused primarily on sonic weapons for individual firearms and vehicle weaponry. Power Sources Alongside their attempts to develop long-range weapons, the Sinahm discovered sonoluminescence rather accidentally. As they delved into the ultrasonic power generation, they discovered that as the ultrasound waves excited the water particles and created tiny bubbles, and those bubbles emitted light, that fusion reactions could be instigated with sufficiently powerful ultrasonic waves. Using solar power as the initial power source, they started a number of sonoluminscent fusion generators; they later adapted these for space travel. Since the systems were self-propogating and the fuel source was water, they found the power system incredibly useful. Vehicles Before ever reaching the stars, the Sinahm first developed more rapid methods of moving about their own planet. The Feonnes created mobile holts for traveling on the rivers and across the seas, allowing them to keep their tribe mobile and to find new sources of food and let the life cycle continue more fully without having to journey overland. The Sailes developed similar vehicles, though they were less intricately designed, since the Sailes actually spent most of their time in the water. They called these mobile holts 'tachlong's. These vehicles were adapted over time and improved. In modern times, the larger tachlongs can house several tribes and are powered by a sonoluminescent generator. The smaller, one-tribe tachlongs or even individual tachlongs are far less advanced, even relying on sails and oars to carry them across the seas. They are most often made primarily of wood, though all have some metal in them; a few of the larger tachlongs are made entirely of metal, but these are frowned upon by the population at large. Such vessels, they say, belong in the skies, not in the water. Starships All of the starships of the Sinahm'Uish, which they called 'rehaltecoy's, are powered by either one or two sonoluminescent generators, depending on their size and power requirements. The smaller vessels are usually intended for a single individual or as many as one immediate family. Some of these have plasma weapon emplacements, but others - particularly those given to exiles - never do and are smaller for it. Larger vessels, when used as transports, can house as many as three tribes and enough cargo for that many to begin a colony. These always have weapon emplacements for defense against pirates and invaders. These plasma weapons are often placed on turrets for maximum protection. These vessels also use shield generators not unlike those used in the rest of the Galaxy; initially, the Sinahm had simply used armor to protect their vessels, but after discovering shields in other vessels and finding that heavily armored vessels were more difficult to propel, they shifted to the shield method of protection. Rehaltecoys are designed with a marine appearance, not unlike the vessels of the Mon Calamari, looking more wide stone fish than starships. They all have the capacity to enter a planet's atmosphere, and some of the most advanced have the capacity to go underwater as well. The method of propulsion is a typical engine, capable of both sublight speeds and Hyperspeed. This design was a late addition to rehaltecoys for the Sinahm, since, like shield generators, it was discovered after meeting other species. History Category:Xedael EmpireCategory:ArchangelCategory:Balsa